Artichoke?

Just got three artichoke roots to plant. I've not really eaten it in the past, but appreciate it as a good perennial plant. Got globe artichoke. Going to plant the roots about 8 inches deep and 8 foot apart because its such a large plant.

What parts of the artichoke do you guy's eat? (leaves, stems?)

How do you prepare artichoke?

I eat the flower buds, but find them kind of not worth the trouble. Cook by boiling until tender. If you pick them young enough, all you have to do is cut off the tip of the bud to remove the spines, and the rest is edible. I'm growing a small purple variety. I'm also growing Cardoon, a close relative, which has big thick leaf stems which are edible. I'll bet artichoke leaf stems are edible also.

We ate the Cardoon for the first time tonight, and it is kind of bland and slightly yucky. Maybe I'll try the artichoke leaf stems next time....